Sleep
by Kivalle
Summary: A short series of mildly fluffy one-shots. Paily.
1. Chapter 1

The light inside the bathroom shut off with a soft click before the door opened slowly, quietly, so as not to wake the figure lying in the darkened bedroom. Careful footsteps on the well-worn carpeting couldn't avoid making the floor creak in some areas, and each time she did she paused for a heartbeat before continuing to the bed.

A shaft of moonlight filtered through the gap on the side of the curtains, falling across the royal blue cover near the foot of the bed. She lifted the sheets up and slid underneath quickly. The fabric felt cool against her skin, still hot from the shower, and as she settled in the body next to her shifted slightly.

Even in sleep Emily reached for Paige instinctively. She happily obliged, her arm falling across Emily's stomach as she rested her head in the crook of the sleeping girl's neck. Paige had never really been one to sleep on her side, usually so tired after pushing herself all day long to do nothing but sleep like a board, but after only a year or so of living with Emily that had changed. She had discovered the joys of sleeping together, just sleeping, all the little noises and smells and—

Emily sighed contentedly, her chest rising high before falling quickly back down. Paige marveled at the feel of it under her arm; even after five years of being together these quiet, intimate moments never ceased to amaze her. As Emily's breathing evened out again she nestled herself in closer, snuggling in as much as possible. Her lover's head turned slightly, lips grazing against the top of Paige's head.

Her mouth stretched into a wide yawn as she began to drift to sleep. She could feel her heartbeat settle down into the same rhythm as Emily's, keeping time together as a synchronized countdown to the next week. Other thoughts tried to push their way into Paige's mind but she held them back, drinking in the lavender scent coming from her lover's hair.

Indeed, she knew she needed to get some sleep; they both did, since tomorrow would be yet another busy day in a long line of busy days. Emily's father was flying in and there was the inevitability of several things needing to be decided. But for now Paige was content to lay here like this, wrapped up in bed with her fiancée.


	2. Chapter 2

With a grunt she extended her hand to twist the lamp's switch, darkening the room instantly. She found her wife's arms waiting patiently for her return and settled into them with a sigh, back pressed to front. An arm wrapped itself protectively around her stomach, fingers extended to cover as much skin under her shirt as possible. She smiled softly at the small gesture and placed her hand on top of the other, twining the two together.

Moments ticked by slowly as she waited for sleep, but it wouldn't come. Paige's breathing behind her grew deep and even before long. Emily was alone with thoughts that began to race with memories from the day. Her eyes searched the darkness of their bedroom, and the longer she looked, the smaller their apartment became in her mind's eye.

A mini war began to rage inside her. The two opposing sides of worry and excitement stood on equal grounds as the future loomed ahead. They had nine months; that was both plenty of time and yet not nearly enough to prepare. The official confirmation came today in the doctor's office but the elation began to wane once she had time to herself to think about what it meant.

Paige moved to pull away and Emily let her go; she rolled over onto her other side, giving Emily plenty of space to adjust to a new position. Landing on her back she stared at the ceiling as her hands came to rest on her belly. It certainly didn't _feel_ any different physically…but just the thought that their months of trying to get pregnant finally paid off made her heart flutter nervously in her chest.

They had, of course, thoroughly discussed it before even trying anything, and there was no doubt in her mind that Paige would make a great parent. It was her own potential as a mother that made her nervous. She knew that her friends would be there every step of the way too, which was equal parts reassuring and not. Then again, she still had to tell them the good news…

…but that could wait until tomorrow. For now she pushed her worries aside and rolled over, snuggling into Paige. The attention earned her a sleepily mumbled, "I love you…"

Leaning up, she gently pressed her lips to her wife's cheek before settling back and closing her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Every muscle ached as she stood, stretching her protesting body in an effort to calm it down before she quietly made her way into the brightly lit hallway. The paper coffee cup in her hand had emptied itself an hour ago but a glance to the nearest clock told her to wait until tomorrow for the next one. Stifling a yawn, she threw the cup in a trash can and passed through a set of double doors. She came to a stop in front of a large window. The room beyond was dimmed inside but she could still make out tiny shapes moving occasionally as they slept.

Pressing her face against the glass, her eyes sought out the tiny bundle in the back-left corner of the room. There he laid, chest rising and falling almost imperceptibly from this distance. He shifted slightly as he slept. Now-grateful tears threatened for what seemed to be the twentieth time that day as Paige watched; it had been one of the longest and most nerve-wracking twenty-four hours she'd ever experienced.

Emily's water had broken as they were getting ready for bed. They wasted no time in getting to the hospital, Paige promptly alerting family and friends once her wife was settled in the maternity ward. Things didn't go quite according to plan, however, and there were some complications during birth. A shot of adrenaline raced through her at the memory of it. It ended up taking longer than normal, resulting in a very worried group of friends and family huddled in the waiting area. She was so incredibly thankful when it was all over and both Emily and their son came of it alive and well.

Satisfied that everything was alright, Paige returned to her post next to Emily's bed in the darkened hospital room. She was still asleep, partially propped up by the big pillows provided for her. She was a real trooper, having earned what rest she could get now. The love and admiration Paige held for her wife had grown exponentially today; she knew that if and when it came to be her turn to carry a child, she wouldn't have the nerve to try a natural birth if it could be helped.

The chair squeaked as she sat and she winced, her muscles still unhappy. Emily's head rolled over on the pillow to face her but she remained asleep. Paige reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. She mentally urged her wife to rest, knowing that when they went home tomorrow the real work would begin.


	4. Chapter 4

The house stood still in the darkness as seconds ticked by quietly in the grandfather clock downstairs. There came a sudden jolt in one of the upstairs bedrooms, followed by the rustling of sheets as they were thrown back. A door opened and footsteps echoed down the hallway, loud in their exaggerated attempt to be quiet.

Emily heard the door open, assuming it to be a part of her dream. She felt a tug on her shirtsleeve and rolled over slowly, cracking her eyes open. A tiny figure stood in the darkened room at her bedside, clutching a well-worn stuffed panda to its chest. Her eyes sought the clock.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" she whispered quietly. "It's 3:30 in the morning."

The figure sniffled in response. "I had a bad dream," he replied.

Emily had always hated having bad dreams, especially during her childhood. It made her heart ache to see her son so scared. As her eyes adjusted she could just make out that he was shaking, though that could have been caused by the room's low temperature as much as the dream. A strong wind blew outside and for a moment the faint sound of snowflakes hitting the windowpanes could be heard.

"Okay," she said, "do you want me to come check your room for monsters?"

He shook his head vigorously, arms tightening around the stuffed animal. "I want to sleep with you and Mama."

"Honey," she began to say but was cut off with another sniffle.

"Please, Mommy?" Emily could feel his big pleading eyes staring at her hopefully.

She sighed. "Alright," she relented, lifting up the covers, "but only for tonight."

He scrambled under the heavy winter blanket and snuggled himself as tightly as possible against her, the panda creating a soft barrier between them. Paige shifted on the other side of her and she could feel the still-small swelling of her wife's stomach press lightly against her back.

As Emily settled in to fall back asleep, she couldn't help as her thoughts drifted back to five years ago when they started their growing family. Now Cameron was four and their second was on its way, though it was still too early to tell if he'd be getting a brother or sister.

The wind blew again, hard, making the house creak. Her son shivered again and she wrapped a comforting arm around him. He mumbled something indiscernible, but she caught the meaning anyway.

"I love you too, sweetie."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I'm beginning to run out of ideas so if anyone has a request for something they'd like to see, feel free to message it to me.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to think about rising over the horizon as two sets of feet made their way down the steps, eyes seeking the veritable treasure trove they waited all year for. They passed through the cold, dusky kitchen to the living room where the reward for their good behavior these last few weeks waited. With an excited squeal the younger one raced forward. The other ran to catch up, stopping his brother with a hand on the shoulder. He motioned towards the upper floor and the two were off like a shot.

Excited giggles mixed with pounding feet as they ran back up the steps to their mothers' bedroom. The door burst open, startling the two awake. Paige felt Emily bolt upright immediately before two extra weights scrambled onto the bed.

"Santa came!" One of the weights shook her shoulder, forcing her to turn onto her back. Her eyes opened to a four-year-old kneeling next to her, grinning from ear to ear. The eight-year-old was standing next to the bed tugging insistently on Emily's hand.

"Momma, Santa came!" he repeated, seeing Paige's drowsy face. _Of course he did_, she thought, _I made sure of it last night._ She had been up until two, waiting until she knew they were asleep to put the presents under the tree. She sat up, Jonah watching her expectantly. Cameron already had Emily up and putting on her slippers and robe.

"Alright," she said tousling his hair, "I'm up, I'm up." He shifted for her to throw the cover back before jumping off the bed to join his brother at the door. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed, yawning widely.

"Go on downstairs and wait for us, we'll be down in a minute." Emily said as she fastened her robe's belt around her waist. Their sons needed no further encouragement and headed for the stairs immediately. "And don't open anything until we get down there!"

Paige looked at her clock; it was 6 a.m. Only four hours of sleep. She reluctantly stood and threw her own robe on, joining her wife in the middle of the room. Emily's arms snaked about her waist as she wrapped hers around her neck. They kissed softly, pulling apart only a few inches to smile at each other.

"Merry Christmas, Paige."

"Merry Christmas, baby."


	6. Chapter 6

A log in the fire cracked loudly, filling the space between the sounds of a bottle coming in contact with the first, then the second wine glass in the kitchen. The smell of burning wood filled the living room, its partner heat staying close to the hearth where it warmed the woman still sitting in front of it. Soft footsteps on the carpeting behind her signaled the return of the other person.

There was a smile playing on Paige's lips as she took the half-full glass from her wife. Once Emily was seated next to her once more they bumped their drinks together, the _ding_ ringing loudly through the otherwise silent house.

After taking a sip of wine, Paige said, "Mmm, I could get used to this whole peace and quiet thing."

"Thank goodness for grandparents," Emily replied. She snuggled into Paige's side, earning her an arm wrapped around her waist. "I've missed having the house to ourselves."

"You know, we could just leave them there for a couple of days…" she trailed off, looking at Emily and raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Her wife laughed softly. "As much fun as that would be," she leaned in and kissed Paige for emphasis, "we can't just leave my parents at the mercy of our sons without giving them time to prepare."

"Why not?" Paige pouted. "Sometimes I think your dad misses ordering unruly guys around."

"Yes, but not his grandsons," Emily took another drink of wine, her head swimming pleasantly as the heady liquid joined the rest already in her system. She set her glass down and went in for another kiss, which slowly turned into more than a few as Paige's glass was abandoned to the floor and the two ended up lying entangled next to them, all thoughts of their conversation forgotten as they lost themselves in each other.

In the still-sober part of Paige's brain, it occurred to her that she was still as enamored with Emily now as she had been in high school. More, even. Much more.

So when Emily pulled away with that impish grin on her face that Paige loved so much, she found her heart beating faster at the ideas forming in her head. That train of thought was quickly reinforced as Emily took her hand and led her towards the stairs, the two giggling like they were eighteen again.


End file.
